Standby display aircraft management system

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the present invention includes an aircraft instrumentation system for a cockpit instrument panel having a first device associated with a first pilot of an aircraft and positioned on the instrument panel substantially in front of the first pilot. The first device may include a first display and a first controller, which may have a set of controls for controlling the first display and aircraft systems. The instrumentation system may also include a second device associated with a second pilot of the aircraft and positioned on the instrument panel substantially in front of the second pilot. The second device may include a second display and a second controller, which may have a set of controls for controlling the second display and the aircraft systems. The instrumentation may be configured such that at least one of the first display and the second display presents attitude, altitude and airspeed at all times.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/988,412, entitled “Standby Display AircraftManagement System,” filed Jan. 7, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,928,863which claims priority to PCT/US2006/025679 entitled “Standby DisplayAircraft Management System,” filed Jun. 30, 2006, which claims priorityto U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/172,925 filed Jul. 5, 2005, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,307,549. The complete disclosure of the above identifiedpriority applications is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to airplane cockpit instrument panelconfigurations and, more particularly, to a standby instrument includinga multi-function display controller.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As modern aviation advances, the demand for ever-increasing flightenvelopes and pilot performance grows. To help meet this demand on theaircraft and on the pilots, modern aircraft include impressive arrays ofdisplays, instruments, and sensors designed to provide the pilot withmenus, data, and graphical options intended to enhance pilot performanceand overall safety of the aircraft and the passengers.

Not only has aviation advanced but electronic displays have alsoadvanced. Large displays, measuring up to 14 inches by 10 inches, havebeen developed for use in aircraft. Further, many modern aircraft mayuse multiple large displays, in some cases numbering as many as fourlarge displays for a large passenger aircraft. As such, cockpit spacehas become increasingly scarce, forcing the large displays tomulti-task, for example, presenting various menus and various functionalinformation depending on the flight condition and preferences of thepilot. These large displays are commonly referred to in the aerospaceindustry as Multi-Functional Displays (MFD).

Some MFDs, typically those substantially directly in front of the pilotor copilot, are programmable and/or personalizable and used by the pilotas the primary instrument or display for flying the aircraft. Thesedisplays are commonly referred to as the Primary Flight Displays (PFD)and are assigned or dedicated to one of the pilot or copilot. MFDs andPFDs typically include a separate controller, including knobs, radiobuttons, and the like, to select different menus and graphicalpresentations of information on the displays. Additionally, the cockpitinstrument panel includes individual controllers for specific aircraftsystems, such as the fuel system, the electrical power system, weatherdetection system, etc., which further crowd and complicate the cockpitinstrument panel.

Despite the reliability of modern aircraft electronics and electronicdisplays, safety features and redundant systems are still developed andinstalled by aircraft manufacturers and, in fact, are required byFederal Aviation Rules (FAR). For instance, large passenger aircraftfalling under the FAR Part 25 and Part 121 must include a standbydisplay which must be visible to both pilot and copilot at all times anddisplay a minimum of required information: aircraft altitude, attitude,and airspeed. To meet these regulations, one standby display istypically mounted on the instrument panel between the pilot and copilot.

Unfortunately, the expanded use of large MFDs and PDFs on the cockpitcontrol panel leaves little space for placement of otherinstrumentation. This is especially true for the traditional placementof the standby display in the center, between the pilot and copilot, onthe cockpit control panel. While this center location meets the visualrequirements of FAR 25.1333, most aircraft manufacturers, however, nowconsider this center location ideal for additional large MFDs.

In addition to the lack of space on the cockpit instrument panel, theadditional complexity and high performance of modern aircraft placesextra workload on aircraft pilots. Although large MFDs help pilotsefficiently manage the workload, the aircraft pilots, during emergenciesand/or certain aircraft maneuvers, must scan instruments, gather vitalinformation, and manage to fly the aircraft simultaneously. In someemergencies, the standby display may be the only instrumentationavailable to the pilots. Unfortunately, the traditional placement of thestandby display forces the pilot to perform different instrument scansto locate and gather necessary information from the standby display,which inherently multiplies the already heavy pilot workload during anemergency.

Conditions requiring the pilot to scan along multiple axes, such asvertical and horizontal, during an instrument scan are referred to bythose of skill in the art as parallax. As known by those of skill in theart, parallax conditions during flight, and especially during emergencyconditions, significantly increases the pilots workload and stress.

Although previous attempts have been made to relocate the traditionalstandby instrument from the center of the instrument pane, they have notbeen successful. For example, free space for the standby instrument isavailable on the far sides of the instrument panel. This position,however, fails to comply with the visibility and access requirement offederal flight regulations for both pilots. Furthermore, suchpositioning does not address the increased workload applied to pilotsduring instruments scans, especially those scans done under parallaxconditions.

Likewise, placement of the traditional standby instrument above the PFDhas been equally unsuccessful. The region of the instrument panel abovethe PFD has traditionally been extremely crowded with avionicsinstruments necessary to display various flight data and controlaircraft systems. Although the traditional standby instrument is acritical device in emergencies, the traditional standby instrument isnot otherwise used very often. As such, placing the rarely-usedtraditional standby instrument among the highly used displays andcontrollers above the PFD has been previously considered operationallycostly and inefficient.

Therefore, there is a need for a standby display configuration that iscompatible with the large MFDs and limited space of modern aircraftcockpit instrument panels and also helps reduce the workload on pilotsunder difficult flying conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the present invention includes an aircraftinstrumentation system for a cockpit instrument panel having a firstdevice associated with a first pilot of an aircraft and positioned onthe instrument panel substantially in front of the first pilot. Thefirst device may include a first display and a first controller, whichmay have a set of controls for controlling the first display andaircraft systems. The instrumentation system may also include a seconddevice associated with a second pilot of the aircraft and positioned onthe instrument panel substantially in front of the second pilot. Thesecond device may include a second display and a second controller,which may have a set of controls for controlling the second display andthe aircraft systems. The instrumentation may be configured such that atleast one of the first display and the second display presents attitude,altitude and airspeed at all times.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of displayingstandby flight data and managing aircraft systems from a cockpitinstrument panel of an aircraft may include associating a first devicewith a first pilot, where the first device may include a display and aset of controls. The method may include associating a second device witha second pilot, where the second device may include a display and a setof controls. The first device and the second device may include astandby mode and a controller mode. The method may also include settingthe first device and the second device in the standby mode whichdisplays standby flight data, placing the first device in the controllermode only if the second device is in the standby mode, and placing thesecond device in the controller mode only if the first device is in thestandby mode. The standby flight data may include attitude, altitude,and airspeed.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description, the accompanying drawings and theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the present invention, it is believed the samewill be better understood from the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, in anon-limiting fashion, the best mode presently contemplated for carryingout the present invention, and in which like reference numeralsdesignate like parts throughout the Figures, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a front view of a prior art cockpit incorporating atraditional standby instrument;

FIG. 1B is a front view of another prior art cockpit incorporating atraditional standby instrument;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a cockpit according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3A is a front view of a single standby display/controller and halfof a cockpit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a side view of a pilot's field of view according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view of a standby display/controller in a controller modeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view of a standby display/controller in a standby modeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view of a display for a standby display/controllerdisplaying a menu option according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a view of a display for a standby display/controllerdisplaying another menu option according to an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 is a view of a display for a standby display/controllerdisplaying another menu option according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully with referenceto the FIGS. in which various embodiments of the present invention areshown. The subject matter of this disclosure may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited tothe embodiments set forth herein.

The present invention includes an aircraft instrument panelconfiguration that combines a standby instrument with an aircraftdisplay and systems controller such that instrument panel real estatemay be maximized and pilot workload may be minimized. As envisioned fora two pilot aircraft, the pilot and copilot each use a PFD and aconfigurable controller as the primary instruments for flying theaircraft. As a redundant and safety display system, according to thepresent invention, the instrument panel also includes a standbyinstrument integrated with the configurable controller for each pilot.Additionally, in order to meet required flight regulations under FAR25.1333, at least one of the standby instruments must display theregulatory required flight data at all times.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, two traditional aircraft cockpitinstrumentations 10 are shown. The cockpit instrumentation 10 ispositioned below the windshield windows 20 and includes a glare shield30 and a main instrument panel 40. Mounted in the glare shield 30, thecockpit instrumentation 10 includes two traditional configurable displaycontrollers 50, for controlling the MFDs 70, mounted in the maininstrument panel 40. Although the traditional configurable displaycontrollers 50 are typically designated to control the closest MFD, thetraditional configurable display controllers 50 may be configurable suchthat any of the MFDs 70 may be controlled. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B,the cockpit instrumentation 10 includes a traditional standby display 60and standby heading display 80 located approximately centered in thecockpit instrumentation 10.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the standby display 60 and the standby headingdisplay 80 satisfy the FAR 25.1333 requirements by displaying airspeed,altitude and heading at all times because the standby display 60 and thestandby heading display 80 are positioned between the two pilots andbetween the MFDs 70. It should be noted, however, that the placement ofthe standby display 60 and the standby heading display 80 in FIG. 1Arestricts the use of large MFDs in the instrument panel due the locationdirectly between the MFDs 70 as shown in FIG. 1A. As such, smaller MFDs70 are incorporated and awkwardly arranged on the instrument panel 40.

To avoid the limitations of the placement of the standby displays inFIG. 1A, the traditional cockpit instrumentation 10 shown in FIG. 1Bmoved the standby display 60 and the standby heading display 80 belowthe MFDs 70. Although free space for larger MFDs 70 is available in thecockpit instrumentation 10 shown in FIG. 1B, the lower placement of thestandby display 60 and the standby heading display 80 further aggravatesthe parallax conditions experienced by the pilots when using the standbydisplays shown in FIG. 1B. Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the traditionalstandby display 60 and the standby heading display 80 include an aspectratio of 1:1 while the large MFDs 70 include an aspect ratio of 4:3. Thedifference in aspect ratios between the primary and standby instrumentshas been shown to increase the difficulty of locating and gatheringinformation from the standby instruments.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the placement of the standby display 60 and thestandby heading display 80 also creates additional workload for thepilots during emergency conditions. During flight, the pilots mustperform certain visual scans of the horizon and the air space in frontof the aircraft. Additionally, the pilot performs instrument scans,which include looking at the instruments and displays in the cockpitinstrument panel to gather information and check aircraft status. Theinstrument scans may vary depending on the flight mode of an aircraft.For example, during a landing, the pilot's scan of the horizon throughthe windshield may be critical, requiring the pilot to spend intenseeffort and time looking through the windshield. As a result, the pilotinstrument scan, which takes the pilots eyes off of the view through thewindshield, may be an essential yet precarious task.

As another example, during a take off under normal conditions, a pilotinstrument scan may include the MFDs 70 for attitude, airspeed, andheading. Further, the pilot may scan the engine instruments as well asthe glareshield mounted controller display 50, which may be configuredto display data for the automatic flight control system.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the location of the MFDs 70, one of whichis typically assigned to a pilot and referred to as the primary flightdisplay (PFD), is optimally positioned in front of the pilot forinstrument scans, allowing the pilot to simply look vertically up fromthe PFD to look through the windshield window 20. For example, intransition from instrumented flight to visual flight during a landing,the pilot simply looks vertically up from the MFDs 70 to visuallyidentify the runway. Likewise, to confirm air speed and heading duringvisual flight, the pilot, during an instrument scan, simply looksvertically down from the windshield window 20 to gather any informationfrom the MFDs 70, which are typically programmable and adjusted to thepilot's liking, further simplifying the instrument scan.

Over time, instrument scans become more instinctual to the pilot,allowing the pilot to gather information quickly and efficiently.However, under emergency or abnormal conditions such as an electricalfailure, the MFDs 70 may not be available to the pilot and/or thecopilot. In such an emergency situation, the standby display 60 and thestandby heading display 80 function to replace the MFDs 70 and providethe pilots with the necessary information in a standardized fashion.

Unfortunately, as described above the pilot's typical instrument scan ofthe MFDs 70, when the pilot simply looks down from the windshield window20 to the MFDs 70, does not include the location of the traditionalstandby display 60 or the standby heading display 80 in the cockpitinstrumentation 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. As a result, in anemergency, a pilot is required to deviate from the typical scan, forcingthe pilot to scan vertically down and horizontally to the left or right,depending on the pilot's position, in order to gather information formthe standby display 60 and the standby heading display 80. As discussedabove, parallax conditions significantly increase the pilot's workloadduring flight and emergency conditions.

During normal flight conditions, the MFDs 70 provides the pilot with thevast majority of necessary information used in piloting an aircraft. Asthe primary instruments, the MFDs 70 display flight data according tovarious functions and, in a modern aircraft, are typically programmableby the pilot. A configurable display controller 50, as shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B, typically controls the programmable MFDs 70 such that the MFDs70 may display attitude and airspeed information, as well asnavigational or systems information, according to the preferences of apilot. For example, through the display controller 50, a pilot mayconfigure the display 70 to read out barometric pressure in differentunits. Traditionally, an aircraft configurable display controller 50 isa stand-alone instrument associated with a given MFD 70 or PFD andmounted in the glare shield 30 of the cockpit instrumentation 10 asshown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

In addition to controlling and configuring the MFDs 70, the controller50 may also be configured to control aircraft systems and display thestatus of aircrafts systems on an associated screen shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B. For example, the controller 50 may be configured to control anddisplay status information regarding the fuel system or the auxiliarypower unit for the aircraft. As such, through the control of thedisplays and the aircraft systems, the controller 50 plays a significantrole in the flight of the aircraft and also requires significantattention by the pilot as a result.

In FIG. 2, one embodiment of the present invention is shown including acockpit instrumentation 100 with windshield windows 20, a glare shield30 and a main instrument panel 40. The cockpit instrumentation 100 alsoincludes two standby instrument displays/configurable controllers 111and 112, hereafter referred to as standby display/controllers 111 and112. As with the traditional cockpit instrumentation 10, the cockpitinstrumentation 100 also includes MFDs, shown in FIG. 2 as MFDs 141,142, 143, and 144. Each standby display/controller 111 and 112 includesa display 120 and a companion controller panel 130 and may be associatedwith a pilot or copilot and one or more of the MFDs.

Although the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 may be configuredsuch that they are associated with any of the MFDs 141, 142, 143, and144, the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 may be preferablyassociated with the MFDs mounted directly beneath, for example standbydisplay/controller 111 may be associated with MFDs 141 and 142. It isalso contemplated that the standby display controllers may be associatedwith fewer or more MFDs without deviating from the scope and spirit ofthe present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, the standbydisplay/controllers 111 and 112 may be configured to include acontroller mode and a standby mode. The standby display/controllers 111and 112 may work in concert to function similar to the traditionalconfigurable controller 50 in the controller mode and similar to thestandby displays 60 and 80 in the standby mode. In order to satisfy someflight regulatory requirements, the two standby display/controllers 111and 112 may be configured to work in concert such that the requiredregulatory flight data is displayed on at least one of the standbydisplay/controllers 111 and 112 at all times.

By functioning as both a configurable controller and as a standbydisplay, the display/controllers 111 and 112 may integrate not only thefunctions of the traditional configurable controllers 50, the standbydisplay 60 and the standby heading display 80 as shown in FIGS. 1A and1B, but also their locations into one standby display/controller systemfor the pilot and copilot that reduces pilot workload and freesadditional space on the cockpit instrumentation 100. As with thetraditional configurable controllers 50, the standby display/controllers111 and 112 may provide control for and display of aircraft systems andcontrol for MFDs 141, 142, 143, and 144. Simultaneously, the combinationof the two display/controllers 111 and 112 may function together to actas the traditional standby display 60 and traditional standby headingsystem display 80.

Although the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 are shown in FIG. 2as being positioned in the glare shield 30 and directly above the MFDs141, 142, 143, and 144, it should be understood that the standby displaycontrollers 111 and 112 may also be positioned elsewhere on the cockpitinstrumentation 100. Likewise other instruments such as the MFDs 141,142, 143, and 144 may be otherwise positioned on the cockpitinstrumentation 100 without deviating from the scope and spirit of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, display/controllers 111 and 112 integrate thetraditional standby displays and the configurable controllers of thecockpit instrumentation 10 into a single collocated set two displaycontrollers 111 and 112. The location of the two display/controllers mayprovide the pilots with, among other things, reduced workload.

Referring to FIG. 3A, half of the cockpit instrumentation 100 is shown,representing the instruments directly before one of the pilots duringflight and the primary instruments that pilot may use during flight.More specifically the display/controller 111 is shown and, for purposesof discussion, may be directly associated with the two MFDs 141 and 142mounted directly below the display/controller 111. Each of thedisplay/controllers 111 and 112 include a display 120 and a companioncontrol panel 130. In the standby mode, the display 120 displays therequired regulatory flight data traditionally displayed on thetraditional standby displays 60 and 80. In the controller mode, thedisplay 130 presents aircraft system data and menu options for managingthe aircraft systems. Selection of the options may be made through thecontrol panel 130 or through the display 120 as discussed below inreference to FIG. 4.

Although the display/controller 111 is shown associated with the MFDs141 and 142 in FIG. 3A, it is contemplated that the control panel 130 ofthe display/controller 111 may be programmable to control any number ortype of flight deck avionic displays and other aircraft systems.

It should be noted that the traditional standby display 60 and thetraditional standby heading display 80 are absent from the cockpitinstrumentation 100 as shown in both FIGS. 2 and 3. Replacing thetraditional standby displays, the display/controller 111 is nowpositioned directly below the windshield 20 and above the MFDs 141 and142, the pilot's primary instruments, often referred to as the primaryflight display (PFD). The position of the display/controller 111 may beoptimally positioned to aid the pilot during instrument scans and toease the ability of the pilot to make adjustments to the aircraftsystems and displays.

As mentioned above, the typical instrument scan conducted by the pilotinvolves looking from the windshield 20 down to the primary instruments,the MFDs 141 and 142, in order to gather important flight data, and thenback up to the windshield. Although different instrument scans may bedone during different flight conditions, the vertical movement of theinstrument scan described above often become habitual and a constant eyemovement done by pilots during flight. In contrast to the traditionalstandby displays 60 and 80, in the embodiment of the present inventionshown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the display/controller 111 now rests directly inthe instrument scan such that a pilots field of view or eyes pass overthe display/controller 111 each time the pilot performs the habitualinstrument scan.

In the event of an emergency or if the MFDs 141 and 142 are lost, thedisplay/controller 111 may be configured to default to the standby mode.As such, the configuration of the cockpit instrumentation 100 places thedisplay/controller 111 directly in front of the pilot and inside thehabitual instrument scan of the pilot. In contrast to the traditionalstandby displays 60 and 80, emergency instrument scans under difficultconditions only requires the pilot to scan vertically down from thewindshield 20 to locate the display/controller 111 in the standby mode.This specifically avoids the problem of parallax experienced by pilotsusing the traditional cockpit instrumentation 10 and reduces theworkload of pilot flying an aircraft equipped with an instrument panelof the present invention.

Additionally, it should be noted that the MFDs 141 and 142 and thedisplay/controller 111, as shown in FIG. 3A, both include an aspectratio of 4:3. Although other aspect ratios may be used in accordancewith the present invention, the duplicated 4:3 ratio may provide adisplay 120 as a scaled down version of the MFDs in appearance. Incontrast, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the traditional standby displays60 and 80 typically include a aspect ratio of 1:1 and are significantlysmaller that the display 120, making the traditional standby displays 60and 80 difficult to locate and read even under normal conditions. It hasbeen shown that the similar ratio provides the pilot with a moreidentifiable and simpler standby instrument from which to gather flightdata during emergency conditions. Coupled with the placement of thestandby instrument, the standby display controller according to thepresent invention may significantly reduce the workload of a pilotduring emergency conditions.

As shown in FIG. 2, the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 areplaced in the region of the cockpit instrumentation 100 referred to asthe glareshield 30. This placement further eases the workload on thepilots by supporting the transition from standby instrumented flight,where the pilot relies on the display/controllers 111 and 112 ininstrumented flight, to visual flight. By placing the standbydisplay/controllers 111 and 112 directly under the windshield window asopposed to the traditional placement of the standby displays 60 and 80,a pilot may easily transition between viewing the standbydisplay/controllers 111 and 112 and the windshield 20. For example,during landing a pilot stops flying the aircraft by instrument flightwhen the aircraft descends to the minimum use altitude, at which pointthe pilot, looks up through the windshield and visually identifies therunway. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, thepilot needs only to look vertically up a short distance from thedisplay/controllers 111 and 112, making it much easier to transitionduring different flight modes when using the cockpit instrumentation 100shown in FIG. 2.

Additionally, the transition from the primary flight display to thestandby display/controllers 111 and 112 may be facilitated by theplacement of the display/controllers 111 and 112 as close to therespective pilot's design eye point (DEP) as possible. The DEP, shown aspoint 350 in FIG. 3B, is the point from which the standard pilot's eyemay monitor and operate all instruments and controls while at rest.Adjustable seating provided by most modern aircraft position varioussized pilots to place the pilot's eye in this DEP. Unlike thetraditional position of the standby displays 60 and 80, thedisplay/controllers 111 and 112 are places close to the DEP as shown inFIG. 3B. It should be understood that the positions of the display 120and the control panel 130 for display/controllers 111 and 112 may beinverted to optimize the location closest to the DEP.

The cockpit instrumentation 100 also improves the safety and efficiencyof the pilot in emergency conditions because of the familiarity of thepilot with the display/controller's 111 location on the instrumentpanel. Again, in contrast to the traditional location of the traditionalstandby displays 60 and 80, the pilot may often view and use thelocation of the display/controller 111 because of the additionalcontroller mode of the display/controller 111. During flight, it iscontemplated that the pilot may become familiar with the location andthe use of the display/controller 111 in the controller mode asadjustments are made to the aircrafts systems and displays. Therefore,the pilot's use of the display/controller 111 in the standby mode in anemergency will include looking in a familiar location on the instrumentpanel in order to gather flight data, further reducing the workload of apilot during flight.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a side view of a pilot 300, aircraft 310, MFD 141,display/controller 111, and windshield 20. The forward field of view 320of the pilot 300 is shown in dashed lines. It should be noted that thefield of view 320 of the pilot 300, looking straight out the windshield20, includes within the dashed lines the standby display controller 111,further illustrating the ease by which the pilot 300 may view thedisplay/controller 111 during an instrument scan.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3B, the location of the display/controller 111and its inclusion in the pilot's field of view 320 reduces the effortrequired for the pilot to use the display/controller 111 in thecontroller mode. This further illustrates the pilot's familiarity withthe display/controller 111 during habitual instrument scans and use ofthe display/controller 111 in the controller mode.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the location and integration of multipleflight instrument displays into the display/controllers 111 and 112frees valuable space on cockpit instrumentation 100 for larger and otherflight instruments. Without the traditional standby displays 60 and 80,the cockpit instrumentation 100 has additional space to incorporatechanges, such as larger MFDs or the inclusion of additional instruments.Larger MFDs, for example, may further reduce pilot workload by providingdisplays that are easier to read and view under any condition.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, the display/controller 111 is shown in thestandby mode with the display 120 displaying required regulatory flightdata. However, the flight data shown on the display 120 in the standbymode may be replaced with aircraft system data and menu options when thedisplay/controller 111 is used in the controller mode. As shown in FIG.4, the display/controller 111, including the display 120 and the controlpanel 130, is shown in the controller mode and functions similarly tothe traditional configurable controller 50.

In FIG. 4, the display/controller 111 only is shown in the controllermode with the auxiliary power unit system menu and data displayactivated. Although the auxiliary power unit is shown in FIG. 4, otheraircraft systems may be included and controlled by thedisplay/controller 111 and additional examples of system menus and datadisplays are shown in FIGS. 5-8.

The display 120 in FIG. 4 includes a display screen 400 and activationbuttons 410 and 420 held within a frame 405. The selection of theauxiliary power unit display for the display screen 400 may be selectedby activating the button labeled APU in the Display System and AircraftSystem Management Menu Keys 450 and 460. Upon selection of the APU key,important data regarding the auxiliary power unit is clearly displayedas shown and selections and changes to the auxiliary power unit may bemade using other buttons and keys on either the display 120 or thecontrol panel 130. For example, the generator for the auxiliary powerunit may be toggled on and off by activating the button 421 as shown inFIG. 4.

As would be obvious to those of skill in the art, other systems anddisplay options may be selected by activating alternative keys on thecontrol panel 130. As shown on the control panel 130, knobs 430 and 431may be used as rotate and push set functions to make selections of menusand displays. Additionally, the keys 440 may be configured as a set offour basic standby display and higher order display selection keys.These keys 440 may be used to configure and control the display 120 inthe standby mode as shown in FIG. 5.

Although the keys and buttons shown on the control panel 130 and thedisplay 120 are shown with specific functions applied and programmed, itshould be obvious to one of ordinary skill that the button may bechanged or reconfigured by maintenance crews, engineers, or even pilotsin real time such that keys and buttons may perform different functionsdepending on the preferences of the pilot or others. Further, theorientation of the keys and number of the keys and buttons may bechanged without deviating from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention.

Although it is contemplated that the control panel 130 may work inconcert with the display 120 to display aircraft system data and makechanges, if necessary, to an aircraft system, one of ordinary skillwould recognize how the panel 130 may operate independently of thedisplay 120 as well. As such, it is also contemplated that some changesmay be made to aircraft systems without disturbing the display 120 is ina standby mode.

In FIG. 5, the display/controller 111 is shown in the standby mode withstandardized flight data shown on the display 120. As one of ordinaryskill in the art would recognize, the flight data generally pertains toflight data regarding airspeed, altitude, attitude, and heading. Asshown in the FIG. 5, the screen 400 may be configured to display dataregarding airspeed 500 on the left of the screen. Altitude data 510 maybe displayed on the right of the screen with attitude data 520 generallyshown between the altitude data 510 and the airspeed data 500. Along thebottom of the screen 400, the heading data and information 530 maydisplayed according to one embodiment of the present invention. Itshould be understood that the standby mode may be configured to displaythis flight data is different configurations with more or less datashown. Although the data shown in FIG. 5 may be configured to satisfyFAR 25.1333, displaying standby flight data required under thoseregulations, other configurations of flight data may be configured forthe pilot's preference or to comply with alternative regulations.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the cockpit instrumentation 100 may beconfigured to include two display/controllers 111 and 112 which, asdiscussed in reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, may be used in either standbymode and in controller mode. Further, as mentioned, when in thecontroller mode, the flight data displayed of the standby mode may notbe shown on the display 120. As such, if both display/controllers 111and 112 are used by the pilots in the controller mode at the same time,neither of the display/controllers 111 and 112 will display the requiredregulatory flight data.

Although in at least one embodiment of the present invention, thedisplay/controllers 111 and 112 may be used in the controller mode atthe same time, this configuration may violate flight regulations forsome types of aircraft, specifically large aircraft falling under FAR25.1333. It should be noted, however, that in the embodiment of thepresent invention shown in FIG. 2, the standby display/controllers 111and 112 may be configured and programmed to work in concert to meet theregulatory requirements for redundant, backup flight displays. Forexample, FAR 14 CFR Ch.1 (1-1-04 Edition)-25.1321 requires that astandby instrument be visible by both the pilot and copilot at alltimes. It also requires that the standby instrument (a) be plainlyvisible to the pilot from the pilot's station with minimum practicabledeviation from his normal position and line of vision when the pilot islooking forward along the flight path; (b) display (1) attitude in thetop center position, (2) airspeed instrument adjacent to and directly tothe left of the attitude, (3) altitude instrument adjacent to anddirectly to the right of the attitude, and (4) direction of flightinstrument adjacent and directly below the attitude.

According to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2,the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 may be optimized for FAR25.1321 by programming the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 toalternate or arbitrate between modes, such that only one standbydisplay/controller may operate in the controller mode at a time. Inother words, when the pilot's standby display/controller is incontroller mode, the copilot's standby display/controller is in standbymode and vice versa. By programming this cooperation into the standbyinstruments, the standby instruments may function as one backup displaydevice, which meets flight regulations, and as aircraft systemsconfigurable controllers, reducing the number of stand-alone instrumentscrowding the instrument panel.

As an additional safety measure, both standby display/controllers 111and 112 may default to and stay in the standby mode if the means toarbitrate the modes between the two standby instruments is lost. Thefunctions of the controller mode of the standby display/controllers 111and 112 may then be managed through other devices besides the standbydisplay/controllers 111 and 112.

Although only one standby display/controller in the standby mode wouldbe required to satisfy FAR 25.1333, it is contemplated that both standbydisplay/controllers may default to a standby mode in the event of anemergency. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the standbydisplay/controllers 111 and 112 may revert to standby mode in the eventpower reverts to a battery bus. Further, as discussed above, theposition of the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 may besubstantially in front of each of the two pilots and within the field ofview of the each pilot as shown in FIG. 3B, which may be criticallyimportant during emergency conditions. Therefore, by providing twostandby display/controllers 111 and 112, arranged as shown in FIG. 2 andconfiguring each to default to the standby mode in the event of anemergency, the arrangement of the cockpit instrumentation 100 as shownin FIG. 2 avoids the parallax condition for either the pilot and copilotduring an emergency, significantly reducing pilot workload andincreasing the safety of the backup display system of the aircraft.

In addition to defaulting to the standby mode in an emergency, thedisplay/controllers 111 and 112 may also set the standby mode as thedefault mode under normal operating conditions as another safety featureand redundancy measure. As a default, anytime the control panel 130 andthe display 120 of a display/controller may be inactive for apredetermined period of time, for example approximately 5 seconds ormore, the display/controller may be configured to default to the standbymode. Additionally, the standby mode may be activated directly from thecontrol panel 130 via selection of a standby menu select key as shown inFIGS. 4 and 5. As such, in the case of an emergency, it is contemplatedthat the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 will already be in thestandby mode without the pilot having to take precious time in anemergency to activate the standby mode, again saving time and reducingpilot workload.

It should be understood that despite the display of regulatory flightinformation on the MFDs 141, 142, 143, and 144 as shown in FIG. 2, thedisplay of a standby instrument, as described above, is still requiredaccording to regulatory requirements.

In the event that one standby display/controller becomes disabled, thestandby displays 120 for both display/controllers 111 and 112 may besized and configured with sufficient resolution to optimize both standbydisplay clutter and cross side viewing. In contrast to the traditionalstandby displays 60 and 80, the standby display/controllers 111 and 112may be larger and include an aspect ration of 4:3. The larger display120 may ease pilot workload by improving cross side viewing. This largerdisplay 120 may also ensure compliance with FAR 25.1321 (a) regulationwhich requires that in the event that one standby display/controllersbecomes disabled the remaining display is suitably sized with adequateresolution such that the aircraft may be flown from the cross sidepilot's seat. This may be shown by a flight test demonstration,indicating that the cross side display/controller is plainly visiblewith minimum practicable deviation from the pilot's normal position.

Although the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 consolidatemultiple controllers and displays into one display and controllersystem, it is contemplated that the control panel 130 control anddisplay functions of the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 mayalso be supported by some other means in the flight deck as another formof redundancy for the cockpit instrumentation 100. Accordingly, the lossof a single standby display/controller may result in the other standbydisplay/controller being designated as the regulatory standbyinstrument, forcing it to remain in the standby mode. For example, inthe event of a loss of display/controller 111, display/controller 112may be designated the standby instrument under FAR 25.1333 and theconfigurable control features and functions of the controller mode maybe handled by an alternative instrument.

As one of ordinary skill in the art would understand, the alternativeinstrumentation and redundancy for the display/controllers' 111 and 112controller mode functions may allow for optional Minimum Equipment List(MEL) compliant dispatch, as demonstrated for large aircraft regulatedby FAR 25/Part 91/135/121's. MEL approved aircraft may alleviateaircraft operators from immediate repairs and typically allows somemaximum duration of operation with a failed component. In addition tothe advantages of redundancy, MEL approval is typically considered amarketing advantage for large aircraft manufactures since the operatorcan continue to operate when stricken in remote locations or in times ofneed of rapid air transport.

Although in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cockpit instrumentation100 complies with a two-man flight deck for a large passenger aircraftcovered by FAR 25.1333, some instrument panels for different sizedaircraft employing multiple display/controllers may be configured may beused in the controller mode at the same time. It should be understood,however, that such instrument panel configurations may, depending on theflight regulations applying to the aircraft, fail to function as arequired regulatory flight backup instrument. As such, it iscontemplated that the display controllers, according to the presentinvention may be incorporated and used in single pilot or other smalleraircraft. Additionally, for large aircraft, more than two standbydisplay/controllers may be included in an instrument panel withoutdeviating from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

The integration, according to the present invention, of multipletraditional standby displays and configurable controllers not only freesup valuable instrument panel space between the pilot and copilot asdiscussed above, but also reduces the flight deck instrumentation count.By reducing the number of stand-alone instruments, flight deckmanagement may become more centralized and clustered about the primaryinstrument scan of the crew. This not only reduces the pilot workloadduring flight, but also reduces the cost of fabrication and installationof instrument panels which, as technology advances, get more and morecomplicated. Additionally, standby display/controllers may reduce thewiring complexity and weight of the instrument panel for modernaircraft, benefiting the overall performance of the aircraft andreducing the production cycle time.

Although the avionic instruments for both primary and redundant displaysmay include a single electronic sensor package, including a navigationaldata source, the standby display/controllers 111 and 112 may alsoinclude a separate electronic sensor package, independent of theelectronic sensor package supplying the Primary MFDs 141, 142, 143, and144 with aircraft flight data. This may provide the pilots with a methodof verifying the accuracy and functionality of the primary and secondaryelectronic sensor packages by comparing the information displayed on theprimary displays and the secondary/redundant displays. As one ofordinary skill in the art would understand, such comparison may providean additional level of safety and redundancy. It should also beunderstood, however, that each of the standby display/controllers mayinclude a separate electronic sensor package.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate additional examples of the standbydisplay/controller in the controller mode displaying various menus andaircraft data for different aircraft systems. As would be obvious to oneof ordinary skill in the art, the displays and menu options shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 are not required aircraft system displays according to thepresent invention. Also, FIGS. 6 and 7 should not be considered as anexhaustive list of the aircraft systems. Furthermore, it should beunderstood that the menus, control functions, and displays contemplatedunder the present invention should not be construed as limited to thoseexamples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

In FIG. 6, the display 120 of a display/controller is shown in thecontroller mode, displaying an example of an aircraft fuel systemdisplay and menu control options. As shown, menu options may be selectedby activating the control buttons 410 and 420 adjacent to the menuoptions displayed on the screen 400. For example, the units of fueldisplayed on the screen 400 and on other displays may be toggled between“lbs” and “kgs” depending on the preferences of the pilot by selectingthe button 600. Although the control buttons in the figures are shown assimple radio buttons, the control buttons 410 and 420 may be configuredas any type of activation button known to those of skill in the art.Further, it should be understood that the screen 400 may include a touchscreen such that selection of options may be made direct on the screenas one ordinary skill would understand.

In FIG. 7, the display 120 of a display/controller is shown in thecontroller mode, displaying an example of a weather detection anddisplay control system. As shown, menu options may be selected byactivating the control buttons 410 and 420 adjacent to the menu optionsdisplayed on the screen 400. For example, the weather radar operationmay be toggled “on” and “off” depending on the preferences of the pilotby selecting the button 600.

In FIG. 8, the display 120 of a display/controller is shown in thecontroller mode displaying an example a control menu for how aircraftflight data is displayed on a primary flight display (PFD). As mentionedabove, the PFD is typically assigned to one of the MFDs, such as one ofthe MFDs 141, 142, 143, and 144 shown in FIG. 2. Although the menuoptions in FIG. 8 may not be configured to control any particularaircraft system, the menu option shown in FIG. 8 may allow the pilot socustomize the manner in which data is presented on the primaryinstrument the pilot uses to fly the aircraft. For example, selectingthe button 800, as shown in FIG. 8, may set the type of units thebarometric pressure is displayed in on the various displays in thecockpit instrumentation.

It should be understood that the menus, aircraft systems, controlsystems, control functions, and displays contemplated under the presentinvention should not be construed as limited to those examples shown inFIGS. 2 though 8. For example, the present invention may also include,but should not be limited to, menu options and control for variousaircraft systems and devices including those associated with aircraftsensors, standby flight displays, Enhanced Vision System (EVS)/SyntheticVision System (SVS), auxiliary power units, CPDLC (Controller Pilot DataLink Communication), weather detection systems, CPCS (CabinPressurization Control System), fuel systems, checklist systems, primaryflight display systems, map systems, Approach and Enroute NavigationalChart systems, Windows Management systems, display format memorysystems, and display synoptic systems.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention are presented for purposes of illustration and description.They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variationsare possible in view of the above teachings. While the embodiments werechosen and described in order to best explain the principles of theinvention and its practical applications, thereby enabling othersskilled in the art to best utilize the invention, various embodimentswith various modifications as are suited to the particular use are alsopossible. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claimsappended hereto, and by their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An aircraft instrumentation system for a cockpitinstrument panel, comprising: a first device having a standby mode and acontroller mode, the first device including: a first display; and afirst controller having a first set of controls for controlling thefirst display and aircraft systems; and a second device having a standbymode and a controller mode, the second device including: a seconddisplay; and a second controller having a second set of controls forcontrolling the second display and the aircraft systems; wherein atleast one of the first display and the second display is in the standbymode at all times to present attitude, altitude and airspeed, andwherein the first controller controls the first display to presentaircraft system data and system menus only if the second display is inthe standby mode and concurrently presents attitude, altitude andairspeed and the second controller controls the second display topresent aircraft system data and system menus only if the first displayis in the standby mode and concurrently presents attitude, altitude andairspeed.
 2. The aircraft instrumentation system according to claim 1,wherein the first controller and the second controller are configured tocontrol at least one of: a communication device, a navigational device,a display device, an auxiliary power device, a weatherdetection/information device, a cabin pressurization control device, afuel loading and offloading device, an electronic checklist device, or apilot memorized display configuration device.
 3. The aircraftinstrumentation system according to claim 1, wherein the first displaydefaults to presenting attitude, altitude and airspeed in the event thefirst controller is inactive for a predetermined period of time and thesecond display defaults to presenting attitude, altitude and airspeed inthe event the second controller is inactive for the predetermined periodof time.
 4. The aircraft instrumentation system according to claim 3,wherein the predetermined period of time is approximately 5 seconds. 5.The aircraft instrumentation system according to claim 1, wherein boththe first display and the second display present attitude, altitude andairspeed in the event of an emergency.
 6. The aircraft instrumentationsystem according to claim 1, wherein both the first display and thesecond display automatically present attitude, altitude and airspeed inthe event the aircraft reverts to battery power.
 7. The aircraftinstrumentation system according to claim 1, wherein first device ismounted above a first multifunctional display (MFD) and the seconddevice is mounted above a second MFD.
 8. The aircraft instrumentationsystem according to claim 7, wherein the aircraft includes a glareshield and the first device and the second device are substantiallylocated in the glare shield.
 9. The aircraft instrumentation systemaccording to claim 7, further comprising a first design eye point (DEP)for a first pilot and a second DEP for a second pilot and wherein thefirst DEP, the first MFD, and the first display are positioned in afirst substantially vertical plane and the second DEP, the second MFD,and the second display are positioned in a second substantially verticalplane.
 10. The aircraft instrumentation system according to claim 1,wherein at least one of the first device and the second device comprisesat least one system menu, wherein the at least one system menu comprisesat least one of the following: sensor menu, standby flight display menu,enhanced vision system/synthetic vision system menu, auxiliary powerunit menu, controller pilot data link communication menu, weatherdetection menu, cabin pressurization control system menu, fuel menu,checklist menu, primary flight display menu, map menu, chart menu,windows management menu, memory menu, or synoptic menu.
 11. A method ofdisplaying standby flight data and managing aircraft systems from acockpit instrument panel of an aircraft, comprising the steps of:associating a first display and a first set of controls with a firstdevice; associating a second display and a second set of controls with asecond device; associating with each of the first device and the seconddevice a standby mode and a controller mode, each of the first deviceand the second device in the controller mode configured to control atleast one aircraft system; setting the first device and the seconddevice in the standby mode, the first display configured to presentstandby flight data when the first device is in the standby mode and thesecond display configured to present standby flight data when the seconddevice is in the standby mode; placing the first device in thecontroller mode only if the second device is in the standby mode; andplacing the second device in the controller mode only if the firstdevice is in the standby mode; wherein the standby flight data includesattitude, altitude, and airspeed, and wherein the first device in thecontroller mode is configured to present, on the first display, menuoptions associated with the at least one aircraft system and the seconddevice in the controller mode is configured to present, on the seconddisplay, menu options associated with the at least one aircraft system.12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one aircraftsystem includes at least one of: a communication system, a navigationalsystem, a sensor system, a standby flight display system, a enhancedvision system/synthetic vision system, an auxiliary power unit system, acontroller pilot data link communication system, a weather detectionsystem, a cabin pressurization control system, a fuel system, achecklist system, a primary flight display system, a map system, a chartsystem, a windows management system, a memory system, or a synopticsystem.
 13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising thestep of: locking the first device and the second device in the standbymode in the event of an emergency.
 14. The method according to claim 11,further comprising the step of: locking the first device and the seconddevice in the standby mode in the event the aircraft reverts to batterypower.
 15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising thesteps of: defaulting the first device into the standby mode after apredetermined period of inactivity in the controller mode; anddefaulting the second device into the standby mode after thepredetermined period of inactivity in the controller mode.
 16. Themethod according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined period ofinactivity is approximately 5 seconds.
 17. The aircraft instrumentationsystem of claim 1, wherein the first display is a first standby displayand the second display is a second standby display.
 18. The aircraftinstrumentation system of claim 17, wherein the first controller isconfigured to control a first multi-functional display (MFD) and thesecond controller is configured to control a second MFD.